


The Idea of North

by beauregret



Category: inFAMOUS (Video Games), inFAMOUS: Second Son
Genre: Everybody Lives, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Relationship tag TBA later, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23949172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beauregret/pseuds/beauregret
Summary: The DUP's gone, and Fetch starts thinking about what she wants to do with her life.Eventually, those thoughts take her to Canada.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	The Idea of North

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hi there!
> 
> I'm back with what's been a little passion project of mine for the last couple of months - a nice little slow burn fic (there is an endgame ship in mind for this) set in an AU where Reggie didn't die!
> 
> All of this is going to be told from Fetch's POV as well which has been super fun to explore.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy reading this, and I'll be back with more chapters to add to this soon enough!

The course of Fetch Walker's life took a drastic turn during one fortnight in October.

She hadn't thought much of the Rowe brothers at first-- why would she? One of them had immediately been hostile towards her (and had she not been so drained, she would've been hostile towards him in turn), whilst the other had ideas above his station. Delsin seemed too ambitious, too sure of his own ability to bring down the DUP when he'd only been a conduit for a week at most at the time of their first meeting.

Sure, Fetch tagged along, helped out where she could, but she wasn't initially convinced that he was the answer to Brooke Augustine. All she saw was a chance to maybe make a new ally and have someone to watch her back every once in a while, whilst she did what she felt was  _ righteous _ . 

And what she felt was righteous was a massacre. It was gritty; bloody; and left trails of dead drug dealers in her wake (trails which make her realise in hindsight why Reggie had once wanted to put her in a cage). Violent retribution was all she'd known after Curdun Cay - it was all she had been trained for, it was all Augustine had ever wanted her to know - and when she got to kill Shane to avenge her brother, it had felt like a better high than any drug had ever given her.

No kill after that had ever quite replicated that high, but it didn't stop her chasing that feeling.

That lack of replication was the only reason she'd given Delsin a chance when he said she should try and turn her focus more towards cutting off the supply chains and rescuing trafficking victims.

But then when their actions were actually doing some good, and they were actively helping people? She thought that maybe Delsin wasn't so bad after all. Sure, she still wasn't entirely convinced that they would win this war, but it felt like they were creating a legacy for Brent that would last far longer than any of her previous killings - and above all else, she'd wanted to do right by him now that she was out of Curdun Cay.

So she continued helping out, and laid off the ritualistic murdering of drug dealers. The neon tally in her hideout changed from being a tally of dealers she'd killed, to a tally of civilians she'd saved. Eugene eventually joins their cause, and even Reggie starts warming up to them (a sign of the changing attitudes of the general public towards them; going from fearing them to supporting them). For a little while, they almost felt invincible.

Almost being the operative word.

Then Augustine stopped pulling punches, and everything had turned ugly. It started with Hank's sudden reappearance from captivity, sending everyone - and Delsin most of all - on a wild goose chase trying to find him. Then with the younger Rowe occupied, the DUP turned their attention to his older brother. They hadn't succeeded in taking Reggie like they'd planned to, but Fetch and Eugene had saved him at the cost of their own freedoms.

Why had they done it? Because Fetch had genuinely taken a liking to the older of the Rowe brothers. Because Reggie was Delsin's weak spot and greatest vulnerability. Because she knew what it was like to lose a brother to collateral damage, and she was going to do everything in her power to spare Delsin from that same experience. The cost to her had been high, but they had been winning - so in Fetch's eyes, it was a necessary sacrifice.

And then there was that island. There was the horrible realisation that she was bait, and both of the Rowes were biting. There was falling in the water and smashing the concrete cage around her and Eugene to pieces, so they could swim to the surface before they drowned.

There was someone else who fell with them, and the horrifying realisation that  _ 'someone else' _ wasn't Delsin.

Fetch remembered all too well the way that she had been desperately trying to pull the concrete off Reggie's legs as he struggled to hold his breath, before it all fell apart entirely and they'd all been propelled out of the water and into the air. She remembered watching Eugene take the form of He Who Dwells, grabbing them both before they fell and carrying them back to the surface. She remembered how he had then reverted back to his normal form - and they'd both shared a look of realisation when they realised how exactly Reggie had managed to survive that entire ordeal.

Everything after that was history. Eugene took Reggie back to Salmon Bay to recover at the Longhouse before flying back to help Fetch and Delsin take on Augustine at the news tower. They won their war. Augustine was arrested, and the DUP dismantled not long after - with the doors of Curdun Cay opened up to free all conduits who had been locked up there for the simple crime of having a slightly different gene to the rest of humanity.

And they all took time to heal; to rest; to enjoy freedom in its most unfiltered form.

The weeks slowly started to pass - Christmas came and went, and she spent it with the Rowes and Eugene, along with a brief trip to see Betty who had in many ways taken Fetch under her wing after getting to know her. The new year rolled around, and Fetch finally started to feel at peace.

And one evening in early February - when the Akomish are having a big get-together and she's invited as an honorary guest - that same feeling of peace makes her thoughts turn to what she wanted to do with her life now that she truly had the freedom to think about something beyond her own survival.

Eventually, her thoughts take her to Canada.

Canada had felt like a long-gone dream at first; an ambition from a tougher time in her life. She hadn't thought she would find anyone with whom she would want to share that idea with - after Brent had passed, she had resigned herself to never calling it home.

Not that she had ever even considered Seattle to be a real home either. Until recently, it had only ever felt like an in-between for all the other places in her life.

But Fetch's views were changing. She realises - as she watches Delsin's attempt to cook end in disaster; Reggie's exasperated sighing as he takes over from his younger brother; Eugene's nervous attempts to make conversation with the people around him - that maybe home wasn't a place or even an idea of a place.

Maybe it was just the people who made her feel like she belonged.

Yet her dream remained; an itch to be scratched all the same.

"We should travel north-- go to Canada and explore the sights a little." She blurts out before realising it a little while later, when the flames from Delsin's failed attempt at cooking finally die down and it's just the four of them keeping each other company on a couple of couches inside the Longhouse. It gets the attention of all three men, but Delsin ( _ as usual _ ) is the first to openly react.

"To Canada? What brought on that idea?"

"You're the one who said we all needed a vacation from reality, something better than drugs or video games--" Eugene opens his mouth in protest before a sidewards glance from Fetch tells him to think twice about arguing on semantics. "--Or, and I quote,  _ 'whatever boring shit Reg calls fun these days'. _ " 

"-Hey, something doesn't have to be  _ illegal _ for it to be fun."

"Aaaand there he goes insulting my talents again." Delsin looks over at Fetch with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, completely ignoring the fact that she was now glaring at him the same way she'd just glared at Eugene. "I mean hey, my works of art are  _ criminally _ good--"

"-Literally--"

" _ -But _ that doesn't mean I should have to get arrested for it every time I showcase my talents. We're in America after all - land of the free, where our right to freedom of speech are protected under the First Amendment--"

"-Just like your freedom to face the consequences of your actions if they're illegal-"

" _ -Buuuut _ I guess my brother just can't  _ bear _ to watch me thrive." Delsin makes a show of looking forlorn, as if he was mourning some kind of loss of artistic appreciation on Reggie's part (and as if Reggie was not currently in the same room, stunned speechless by this display of over-dramatic behavior). "He just wishes he had my level of artistic talent."

"No, I don't--"

"-How have you two not killed each other already?" Both brothers shrug in response, completely in sync with each other as they do, and Eugene's laughing at the stark contrast between that response and the way in which they had been bickering not even a whole minute ago.

Fetch was equally bemused by the sudden change in brotherly dynamic, although her mind was more set on what she'd been  _ trying _ to say prior to the complete derailment of their conversation.

"You two will have plenty of time for a pissing contest later but can we go back to how this all even started?" With all three pairs of eyes now on her, she almost forgets what she wanted to say, nervously looking down at her feet for a moment before continuing to look at each of them in turn. "Canada's not too far from here, so we can always turn around and come back quickly if we want - but it's still far enough that we can have a real break from...well,  _ life. _ "

_ Eugene _ of all people appears to be the first to come around to the idea, nodding along in agreement (and leaving Fetch completely astounded, because she'd expected him to be the  _ last _ person that would be convinced). But Delsin and Reggie both remain wary of the idea of leaving home for a week or two, so her full focus now turns to them. 

"Everyone's safe now, all we're doing at this point is picking up all the mental pieces. But we can't help anyone if we don't look after ourselves every once in a while too. Besides…" Memories flood to the forefront of her mind, and she finds herself forcing a weak smile in a bad attempt to suppress them. "...Brent always wanted to go north, to Vancouver. It feels like a nice way for me to pay my respects to him, but I don't wanna go alone."

"So let's go together." Delsin jumps up from the couch, turning his attention towards his older brother. "Hey Reg, doesn't Alex have a place up there?"

"Yeah he does, I'll talk to him about renting it out."

"-Wait, who's Alex?"

"Another member of the Akomish. Been good friends since we were kids." Reggie offers by way of an explanation, but Fetch picks up on the uncertainty in his voice; the lack of conviction he's having when it comes to committing to this trip.

Delsin, however, does not notice - or if he does, he doesn't show it, and she can't tell which it is. All she can see is the way he begins excitedly listing off ideas for places they could visit; things they could do even if they only go to Canada for a few days. The only thing he did notice seemed to hit him suddenly when he stops talking and looks over to where Eugene was perched against the arm of the sofa.

"Wait, Eugene-- you're up for this too? Thought you'd take some convincing."

"Fetch is right - we need to take time for ourselves too." The young gamer shrugs his shoulders, feeling the same kind of nervousness that Fetch had felt earlier at being the focus of the conversation. 

But in hindsight, she could understand why Eugene was more eager than expected to take this road trip. After Augustine's arrest and the opening up of Curdun Cay, Fetch had made a point of spending more time with him, so that she could get to know him for who he  _ really _ was outside of society's general expectations for him. And he hadn't opened up much at first out of self-defence, but gradually they talked more; and he trusted her more; and he told her about how he had become a conduit when he had snapped and tried to fight back against the bullies that made his teenage life a misery.

Now, Fetch knew hardships. She knew what it was like to have others who hated you so much that they actively tried to make your life hell - but she'd at least had a relatively normal childhood before all of that had happened to her. When she found out that Eugene was only 16 when the DUP took him, she'd felt sick to her stomach.

He hadn't even had the chance to grow out of his teenage years and find himself some semblance of a normal, happy life.

And now he was making up for lost time, with a newfound family to call his own. Betty had taken one look at him and taken him under her wing - just like she had with Fetch - because she was thankful for the way they had helped the Rowe brothers achieve what they'd set out to do when they left for Seattle - and thankful for how they'd played a part in bringing  _ both _ of them back alive. She had seen how close the four of them had become, and welcomed her and Eugene with open arms and the kindest smile that Fetch had ever seen.

So Eugene had his life back, and he had a new support system around him to help him recover from the last few years of hell that he'd been through. It made sense to Fetch that he wanted to see a little bit more of the world now.

Delsin seems to accept (or at least understand) his reasoning easily enough, going back to listing off all the things that they could do once north of the border (with the occasional rebuke from Reggie whenever a less-than-legal idea was suggested), and Fetch sees Eugene's posture relax once more the minute all eyes had stopped being on him. She still gets up to move over to where he was sat though, reaching out and resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to do this just because I really want to. Your comfort comes first." She speaks quietly, careful not to re-draw the attention of the brothers towards them. "Do you really want to come along as well, 'Gene?"

"Yeah, it sounds nice." He offers a genuine smile, and she releases a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding until that moment (because in her mind, this trip wouldn't feel right without all four of them there). "We're safe now. We can travel without having to worry about the DUP being on our backs. And Vancouver's not far, so we can always come back if we're not having a good time."

"We can." She smiles back at him, proud of the way he's changed over the last few months - going from being a scared kid who only felt safe inside his hideout to now being actively willing to go on a trip away from that aforementioned hideout for a few days.

But before she can say anything else, everyone's conversations are interrupted by Betty poking her head around the side of the door, asking if any of them were able to help her put away the last of the barbeque equipment that they'd been using earlier, and laughing when all of them volunteer to help out. Delsin is the first to go out to help her, followed closely by Eugene.

Reggie starts getting ready to make his own exit, until Fetch notices that she has an opportunity to ask him about his earlier hints of doubt and stops him with a hand on his arm.

"Fetch?"

"Can we talk?" She vaults over the side of the couch to perch next to where Reggie was sitting, swinging her legs over his before he could try to get up and avoid having this conversation (and honestly, she wasn't expecting him to react by leaning back comfortably instead, as if they always rested like this). "You don't seem sold on this idea."

"I think it's a great idea - for the three of you."

"And not you?"

"Fetch, I'm Delsin's older brother and I've got a few years on all of you. I should be giving you guys space."

She knew Reggie had a small circle of close friends consisting mainly of childhood friends and people he'd met at college - she'd seen the way they'd rallied around him when he'd returned from Seattle, helping him through recovery and being there as moral support. But they hadn't seen what she and Eugene had seen, and she knew - no matter how much Reggie attempted to deny it - that the three of them had their own kind of camaraderie. It was friendship built on a lot of secrets and the fear of those secrets being blown before he was ready to share them, but it was friendship nonetheless.

In a way, he needed their friendship, because they understood the full extent of how he was even still alive, and nobody else could replicate that level of understanding.

"Don't you think I would've brought this up away from you if we didn't want you there?" Fetch asks when she notices Reggie looking off absentmindedly into the distance, before he turns his attention back towards her with a raised eyebrow that says he's still not convinced. 

She responds with a smile and a playful nudge against his shoulder in an attempt to lighten the mood between them. "Besides, somebody's gotta talk D out of all the bad decisions he'll inevitably try to make." 

"I'm his brother, not his babysitter. Can't  _ you _ talk him out of making bad choices?" But he's at least smiling now, giving away the fact that he wasn't being as serious as the question had initially sounded.

"Not even half as well as you can, even  _ if _ he doesn't listen to you most of the time." They both get a laugh out of that one and just for a moment, all their worries and tip-toeing around unsaid secrets felt like they were a whole other world away. Fetch finds herself slouching further down until her back rests against the seat and she's looking straight up at the ceiling of the Longhouse, her legs still resting comfortably on Reggie's lap.

Any other day, and it may have bothered her to think about how comfortable she felt relaxing like this with him. His hand rests on top of her knee, and she feels herself easing into the touch.

God, she'd missed having this comfortable level of closeness with someone.

But Canada still weighed heavier on her mind. She forces herself to turn serious again, hating the way it felt like it was starting to undo the lighter mood between them. 

"...You need this break just as much as the rest of us." And straight away she feels Reggie tense up out of habit, still trying to ignore the fact that Seattle and the fight against the DUP had taken a lot out of him. But Fetch doesn't relent, no longer content to hang back and let him push through the scars and the recovery on his own. "It won't feel right without all of us there - and that includes you, Reg."

She lifts her head up to properly look at him, giving him a puppy-eyed expression that she used to use all the time on Brent when she wanted to win an argument. "Please come with us?"

Reggie takes one look at her and caves almost immediately, sighing and looking away with a defeated smile. 

"Okay, okay, I'll come too."

"You won't regret it!" She basks in her small victory, sitting back up and swinging her feet off of him with a triumphant grin. (Although she swears she can hear him mutter something under his breath about how she was 'playing dirty' and 'being unfair' by pulling off that look). "Come on Reg, it'll be fun, I promise you'll have just as good a time as the rest of us."

"Or I'll lose a few years off my life, depending on how much trouble you plan on getting into." He retorts, and she can't help but laugh in response.

"Only the usual amount of trouble, and y'know how to handle that by now."

"Yeah - with great difficulty." It comes out more endearing than serious, betraying the way that he actually didn't mind too much what they got up to. He trusted them not to toe the wrong kinds of lines, and Fetch was more than happy to make sure they did a good job of keeping that trust.

Reggie pushes himself up onto his feet, tugging Fetch up afterwards when she holds out a hand in a silent request for him to pull her up and off the couch. And then he's motioning towards the door that the others had left the Longhouse from earlier.

"Come on, we should go help Betty finish packing up - save her from whatever terrible joke Delsin's got up his sleeve today."

"I hear it's a story about a Salmon Bay sheriff who needs to lighten up a little. Apparently he worries too much."

"Or maybe he doesn't worry enough." He rolls his eyes, but the corner of his lip rises in a small smirk all the same. 

Reggie opens up the door and holds it open for Fetch, who leaves the Longhouse feeling like a weight was being lifted off her shoulders. Because after all this time, she was finally getting to go to Canada, with the three closest living people to her heart. Because she was finally getting to keep her promise to Brent about making it to Vancouver someday.

Because  _ finally, _ she was going to experience all the things she'd long associated with her idea of north - safety; adventure; and  _ freedom. _


End file.
